Elastic Dry-Type Solar Cell Rubber with Photovoltaics and Piezoelectricity for Compressive Sensing

Abstract

Ordinary solar cells are too hard to bend, squash by compression, or extend by tensile strength. However, if it were possible to have elastic, flexible and extensible properties, as well as piezoelectricity, that material would be useful and effective for the artificial skin installed over a human-like robot. It could serve as a husk that generates electric power from solar energy, and perceives any force or temperature changes. To realize an elastic solar cell, in this study we develop a novel solar cell made of natural rubber and electrolytically polymerized with a configuration of magnetic clusters of metal particles by adding a magnetic field. The material corresponds to the MCF rubber we developed as an elastic, flexible, and extensible sensor made of natural rubber. The MCF rubber solar cell is dry-type one. The changing of its photovoltaics by irradiation of visible light was measured under the compression.

Development of Magnetic Compound Fluid Rubber Sensor for Practical Usage on γ-Irradiation and Energy Harvesting for Broad-Band Electromagnetic Waves

“…However, the shape of the cyclic voltammogram's curve due to γ-irradiation shown in Figure 6(a) is different from the one due to ultraviolet and visible light as shown in Figure 7, which was investigated in a previous study [4]. The MCF rubber sheet in Figure 7 When the MCF rubber is a single sheet, it has photodiode effect.…”

“…Thus, the MCF rubber has the characteristics that the material of a compound semiconductor is used as particle or powder so that the semiconducting property creates the state of particles dispersion. The detailed principle and the photovoltaic property have been shown in our previous studies [4] [10] [11] [12]. It also can have possibility of reaction to electromagnetic waves including radiation and microwaves, but this has not been demonstrated via experimental investigations as yet.…”

“…Based on the results for γ-irradiation, infrared rays as well as thermal and microwave sources that involved the photovoltaic effect of visible and ultraviolet light in previous studies [4] [10] [11] [12], the MCF rubber sensor has the potential to generate power using broad band electromagnetic waves, as shown in Figure A3 in the Appendix. With respect to the details of other regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, the feasible of using this sensor can be readily inferred.…”

“…The elasticity and flexibility of rubber has resulted in the development of numerous outstanding applications. With the objective of further advancement, we have developed and studied the mechanical, electrical and photovoltaic characteristics of soft rubber with hybrid properties of piezoresistivity [1] [2], piezoelectricity [3] and photovoltaics [4]. The soft rubber that is used is usually diene rubber; natural rubber (NR), isoprene rubber (IR), chloroprene rubber (CR), butadiene rubber (BR), nitrile rubber (NBR) or styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR).…”